


Good Taste in Music Not Required

by TimeSorceror



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Dorky Roommate Anders, Fenris also has a love of musicals and classical opera, Graphic Artist!Fenris who cooks, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-21
Updated: 2016-09-21
Packaged: 2018-08-16 11:39:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8100991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimeSorceror/pseuds/TimeSorceror
Summary: Most people in the world have soulmates. And the way those people tend to find their soulmates is by listening to every song that gets stuck in their potential partner’s head and singing them aloud when they can no longer resist the compulsion. Fenris has yet to meet his soulmate, but whoever they are, they have impeccable taste in music.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Luffymarra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luffymarra/gifts).



> The inspiration behind this fic is based on this Tumblr post: http://banesidhe.tumblr.com/post/121185805665/
> 
> I found it absolutely hilarious and wanted to try it out because you know, why not? Soulmates a la Disney singing? YAAS.

Fenris was cutting tomatoes when it happened again. 

He started humming, not quite words, just a soft little tune. It turned over and over in his head until eventually he recognized it as William Douglas’ “Annie Laurie.” He kept humming until the refrain came around again. Unable to resist, he started to sing it in a rich baritone as he began dicing the tomatoes. 

_“And for bonnie Annie Laurie, I’d lay me down and dee.”_

“A bit morbid, isn’t it?” A voice called from the kitchen doorway. He paused, glancing over at his roommate, Anders. “Still,” Anders sighed, running a hand through his golden hair. “I suppose it’s better than having ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’ on loop for three hours.”

Fenris snickered. “Still?”

Anders sighed again and rolled his eyes as he leaned on the other side of the L-shaped countertop. “Well, off and on, really. You know, if I ever meet them, I’m going to have to wring their neck before I kiss them senseless. I think I’m going to put my ‘What’s New Pussycat’ ringtone on repeat and listen that for a while and see how  _they_  like it.”

Fenris laughed, and Anders grinned. It had taken them a long time to get along, almost an entire year of bickering and whining at each other. But Fenris had needed someone to share the rent with and Anders needed a place to live that was close to his residency at the hospital, and… no one else had responded to the ad, really.

For the first month or two they’d been really petty about who controlled the apartment temperature, whose turn it was to do the dishes, who ate the last piece of pizza, and so on. But about six months in, Fenris had cut himself pretty badly with one of his X-acto knives and Anders had patched him up without even thinking. They’d cut down the pettiness after that, but it wasn’t until the day Anders had come home in tears after having learned his friend Karl had died in an accident that they’d really started to become friends.

“I’m kind of envious of whoever you’ve got. All that lovely classical stuff and delightful little musical numbers… I hope you’ve been kind to them.”

Fenris nodded as he placed the diced tomatoes in a bowl and began moving about the kitchen searching for his spices. 

“I try to be. I was listening to the _Cinderella_ musical the other day and got stuck on ‘Do I Love You Because You Love Me.’ It’s a lovely song, but I do hope they weren’t anywhere public when it happened.” Having found what he needed, Fenris set the cloves and dried onions aside, along with some lemons he’d pulled from the fridge. Then he picked up the tomato bowl and fed them through a food processor.

“What was it that they had you singing the other day? Something from Phantom of the Opera, wasn’t it?”

Fenris nodded. “’The Music of the Night’. There was something from _Madame Butterfly_ as well, but it was in Rivaini so I can’t quite recall the title. Beautiful, though.” Anders pulled himself up onto a chair to watch him cook.

“You know; I almost wish I had ‘Hound Dog’ stuck in my head. I mean, anything has to be better than this exquisite torture.”

“Well, you could drive  _them_  crazy with ‘Cat Scratch Fever’ or ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ instead. I’m sure there are others…” Anders snickered. “Ooh, those are good ones! Oh, and I can’t forget ‘Eye of the Tiger!’ That one is sure to drive them up the wall.” 

“Ugh. Maybe I shouldn’t be encouraging this.” 

Anders just smiled at him. “Oh, I’m sure once I meet them I won’t care about all those stupid dog songs they keep cycling through.”

“It’s never a guarantee that you’ll meet them, you know.” Fenris reminded him. Some people went their entire lives without meeting theirs.

“Oh, I know. But even though we’ve never met, they already feel like one of those long distance friends who sometimes calls you up to annoy you because they know you won’t mind. I certainly don’t.” Anders leaned back, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Their musical taste is annoying, but perhaps they’re just making sure I’m being entertained.”

“Weren’t you just complaining about how you wanted to wring their neck for getting ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’ stuck in your head?”

“Yeah, well. I’m equally as annoying.”

“Too right, you are.” Fenris grunted.

“Hey! You’re not supposed to agree with me!” Anders spluttered, laughter bubbling through his protests. 

Fenris just stared at him briefly, until his lips quirked up in another smile as he turned back to his cooking. Slowly, the gentle swells of  _Annie Laurie_  shifted into the sinfully smooth sounds of _Cell Block Tango_.

Anders’ pager rang then with what was likely another summons to the hospital. “I know it’s such a waste of fresh pasta but… d’you think you could put some in a container for me? I love your food.”

“Of course. Good luck at work.” “You too, Fen. Aren’t you meeting a client later today for some design project or something?” Fenris nodded. “I forget the name, but yes. They need some promotional materials drawn up for a local band.”

“I thought you preferred doing handmade projects?” Anders asked.

“I do, but digital’s what pays the bills. Again, good luck at work Anders.”

Anders nodded and swanned out of the room at the turn of his heel, going to get dressed in his scrubs. Fenris simply continued to prepare his lunch as he sung a bit of something from _Hamilton_ under his breath. His soulmate, whoever they were, had good taste in showtunes.

—

After lunch Fenris left their apartment, dressed mostly in black: black shoes, black slacks, black turtleneck. His coat had accents of silvery blue throughout, but he thought it complimented his hair.

He dug his hands into the pockets and walked briskly towards his design studio. He’d be there in time to meet with his new client, if he kept a good pace. Usually at this time of year, he really wouldn’t tarry because of the cold, but this morning he found himself unusually appreciative of the cleanness of the air and how quiet his surroundings were.

It put him in such a good mood that he’d begun singing more of the _Cinderella_ soundtrack to himself as he unlocked the door. He wondered how his soulmate was taking it, since he was certain this wasn’t coming from them. Their songs tended to have a distinct feel when they started looping as opposed to his own.

He flipped the sign around for his clients, though he hoped there wouldn’t many today. He still had some projects he wanted to fine-tune and he knew he would likely lose himself in his work. Hopefully none of his new clients would walk in while he was singing. 

Though, with the amount of times Anders had walked in on him singing in the kitchen, he wasn’t sure why he bothered being embarrassed.

Fenris unlocked his office and he dug around until his found his laptop underneath a pile of junk mail. Most of it was stuff he’d probably shred later, though there was a flyer with some information about the Hanged Man’s reopening. There was to be a karaoke night, and even without a soulmate, karaoke was always fun. Maybe he could rope Anders into singing “Ten Minutes Ago” with him. That one was a favorite of his, but he rarely had a chance to sing it since it was a duet. Where was that soulmate of his when he needed them?

As if sensing his thoughts, the cadence of the music in his head changed as he set up the laptop and brought up a few images for reference while working. Now his soulmate was singing along with him! He was so pleased that he started humming the intro to “Ten Minutes Ago” as he tidied up his cutting board, finally deciding to sing the prince’s part aloud as he worked.

 _“Ten minutes ago, I saw you. I looked up when you came through the door; my head started reeling you gave me the feeling the room had no ceiling or floor._ _”_

He continued to sing, oblivious to the outside world. He found himself reveling in the richness of his own voice, something he rarely did. His studio partner’s wife Aveline barely knew she had a voice and took little pride in it. But he was hardly on the same level as his former college roommate, Zevran, who’d had a voice like silk and bragged about it to anyone who would listen. Still, he liked his voice well enough. There was also a strange tingling in his chest that almost made him pause.

Weren’t you supposed to do that if you were singing when your soulmate was near? He could’ve sworn he’d read that somewhere… eh, it was only a song. Fenris shook his head and continued his song.

_“I have found her, she’s an angel, with the dust of the stars in her eyes. We are dancing, we are flying, and she’s taking me back to the skies!”_

Fenris twirled in a dancing step as he worked, tiptoeing through scraps of paper and foam core with a sheathed box cutter in one hand and some spray mount in the other, glancing every once in a while at the laptop display on a nearby desk (one of his few clean ones) to make sure he had the design right. His dancing reminded him of the last film version of Cinderella that he’d watched, and he started to daydream about actually holding his own princess in his arms (or a prince, he wasn’t picky). He felt his heart flutter a little more, making him lightheaded. Idly he thought he should probably be concentrating on other things when he had a box cutter in his hand, but he was in too good a mood to listen to his better judgement.

_“In the arms of my love, I’m flying, over mountain and meadow and glen. And I like it so well that for all I can tell I may never come down again. I may never come down to earth again.”_

The bridge was coming soon, he thought, and he continued to hum shamelessly as he kept on dancing through his mess of a studio. He was consumed with the song and his work, until suddenly another voice joined his and he spun around, suddenly very glad his box cutter was sheathed as it clattered to the floor.

Strangely, it didn’t mar the sound of the other man’s voice.

_“Ten minutes ago I met you and we murmured our how do you dos. I wanted to ring out the bells and fling out my arms and to sing out the news. I have found him; I have found him…”_

In contrast to Fenris’ preferred black, the other man was almost blindingly colorful. He was tasteful about it though, wearing a golden cardigan on top of a crisp white shirt, covered with a very soft-looking lilac coat. His pants were black at first glance, but they were threaded with fine gold accents the same shade as the cardigan.

And he was handsome. Fenris always had a weakness for finely groomed mustaches, even if he couldn’t grow one of his own. His dark hair was similarly kempt, carefully combed and gleaming in the lights of his studio. The man’s well-defined cheekbones weren’t anything to sneeze at either, and if Fenris were a vainer man, he’d probably kill for cheekbones like that. 

He gasped as he almost lost pace with the song, but something deep inside of him compelled him to keep going. If this was who he thought it was, he didn’t want to ruin their first meeting.

He didn’t have a part for a few more measures, so instead he reached out to the other man and drew him close, guiding him in a dance through his studio. The other man pulled back at first, eyes wide and movements stiff, but then he relaxed and dipped his head as he finished the princess’ final line.

_“In the arms of my love, I’m flying, over mountain and meadow and glen. And I like it so well that for all I can tell I may never come down again.”_

_“I may never come down to earth again.”_

This they sang together, and the harmony they made… it shivered down his spine and spread a pleasant heat throughout his body. After a moment, he flushed and let go of the man, who was still grinning at him in utter disbelief. 

Though, if he wasn’t mistaken, there was a bit of amusement in his amber eyes.

The man had selected an outfit that not only matched with but did wonders to bring out the flecks of gold in his eyes, and he’d probably known exactly what to wear to do so. Fenris couldn’t help but return the smile.

“You know,” said the man, “this wasn’t what I expected when I got up this morning.” 

Fenris chuckled. “It wasn’t really what I expected either. I own this studio and I came out to meet with a client…” He eyed the man up and down, drinking him in for just a moment longer than was probably necessary. “That wouldn’t happen to be you, would it?”

“Dorian Pavus, most recently of Minrathous. Though I’m currently borrowing a friend’s couch for a while until I can find a place that’s a little more permanent. You must be Fenris.” Fenris grinned.

“That would be me, yes.” Maker, he couldn’t stop smiling! His cheeks hurt.

“You know, my project can wait a little while if you want to grab a bite to eat, or… maybe coffee would be better?”

“I just ate lunch, but I wouldn’t mind a cup of coffee. Do you know the one in Hightown with all those vintage musical posters?”

“Oh, I love that place! Coffee it is, then.”

“Let me see if I can find my laptop bag in this mess first and then we’ll go.”

Dorian just shrugged and sighed happily. “Take your time, I’m in no rush. Iron Bull might be though, since he asked me to find someone for this commission in the first place.”

“Iron Bull? As in the band, “Iron Bull and the Chargers?” With your taste, I didn’t expect you to be a fan…”

Dorian laughed. “Oh, I’m not, really. Bull’s got me doing his PR work until I get settled in Kirkwall and I get a place to stay in exchange.” He paused before adding, “I’m flattered you think I have taste.”

“Well of course you do. Even my roommate thinks you have taste. Granted, his soulmate likes to torture him with just about every dog related song on the planet…” Dorian raised one fine eyebrow. “This is bad… why?”

“He likes cats.” 

“Oh. I see.”

“I also may be encouraging him to do the do the same, except with cat songs instead.” Dorian started chuckling, all but bending over in his laughter as Fenris finally found a suitable bag for his laptop and herded them out the door.

“That’s absolutely terrible! And fantastic. Sounds like something I would do.”

Fenris simply grinned as he slid into the passenger seat of Dorian’s car, feeling strangely and utterly at home with the man.

Then his phone rang as they were halfway through a conversation about which of the upcoming musicals this season they were most interested in seeing, and Fenris held up a hand, “Sorry,” he said. “My roommate, Anders.”

Dorian nodded and focused on the road once more as Fenris turned his head back to the phone.

“Aren’t you at work, Anders?”

“Well, yes. Aren’t you with a client?” Anders offered in a sly comeback. Fenris groaned.

“Well, yes…” He sighed, chuckling. “…you rarely call me while you’re at work unless it’s important, Anders, so out with it. What’s happened?”

“You’ll never guess who I met in the ER today, singing ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’ at the top of their very drunk lungs.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes.”

Fenris snickered. “Well, that client I’m meeting with happened on me in the studio, singing ‘Two Minutes Ago’ at the top of _my_ lungs… and then joined in.”

Silence. “Oh. Well. I see.” Fenris could practically hear Anders’ stupefied blinking. “Y-Yeah, it’s just… wow. So, uh… do I get to meet them?”

“Only if I get to meet yours. Preferably when they’re less drunk.”

Anders’ laughter spilled out from the speaker.

“Oh yeah, totally. Have fun with your client, I gotta get back to my drunk soulmate right now. He keeps trying to pinch poor Nurse Lirene’s ass and I’m thinking maybe I should relieve her before she kills him. Wringing his neck is  _my_ job, after all.”

“Alright. See you later, Anders.” Fenris said, turning back to Dorian.

Dorian gave him a sidelong look as they pulled into the coffee shop’s parking lot.

“What’s this about not meeting someone who’s drunk?”

“My roommate is serving a residency at the Darktown Clinic. That soulmate I mentioned who likes to torture him with dog songs found his way to the ER this afternoon.”

Dorian snorted. “Oh dear.”

“And now he wants to meet you. Do you… I mean, we’ve only just met. You don’t have to…”

“Sure, I’ll meet him. I mean, I want some coffee first. And there’s that project I still need from you.” He leaned in close. “And, maybe even a little more than that.” Fenris sidled closer, close enough to smell the sweet jasmine of the man’s cologne.

“Oh, and what would that be?” Dorian smiled. “From you, anything.” 

And that was when Fenris leaned up to capture Dorian’s lips with his own, feeling that warmth settle in his center again, a song that only he would ever be able to hear. A song that only they heard; together.

 


End file.
